Breast Cancer Prevention Lab

Main Research Focus:

The Schedin Lab is focused on developing breast cancer chemopreventive strategies that are targeted to specific windows of breast development. Our approach is to understand the role of mammary extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in mediating epithelial cell death during key windows of normal mammary gland differentiation, such as adolescent mammary gland development, the estrous cycle, and the pregnancy, lactation, and involution cycle. Major areas of investigation include adolescent mammary development, mammary epithelial cell/stromal interactions, tissue remodeling, mammary carcinogenesis, and chemoprevention using rodent and 3-dimensional culture models and human tissue. Current Research Projects Include: 1) Determining the role of physiologic tissue remodeling in promoting metastasis in pregnancy-associated breast cancer. 2) Identifying the ECM proteomes of the ‘breast-cancer protected’ and ‘at-risk’ mammary gland to identify stromal mediators of tumor cell dormancy and metastasis, and 3) identify dietary interventions targeted to puberty that result in the development of mammary tissue resistant to carcinogenic insult.

Lab Personnel:

Pepper Schedin, PhD - PI
Traci R Lyons, PhD - Post-doctoral Fellow
Jenean O’Brien - Cancer Biology Graduate Student
Ori Maller - Cancer Biology Graduate Student
Pat Bell - Senior PRA, Certified Histotechnolgist
Karla Hedman - PRA

Recent Publications: